Spotlights that are mounted to emergency vehicles and the like are well known. Traditionally, spotlights are mounted to the exterior of the vehicle at a location adjacent the user so that a mechanically connected joy stick can be operated by the user in the vehicle compartment for positioning the beam of the spotlight to illuminate a desired area. More recently, spotlights have become available that employ motor drive mechanisms for allowing the spotlight to be located remotely from the user in the passenger compartment. For these type of spotlights, it is known to provide remote control mechanisms that are connected to the spotlights by way of cables. An example of such a remote control spotlight is the Visibeam.RTM. I manufactured by Federal Signal Corporation of University Park, Ill. This spotlight rotates over approximately 360 degrees of azimuth and 120 degrees of elevation.
In prior spotlights such as the above-identified Visibeam.RTM. I, the drive motors for positioning the beam both along an azimuth and elevation are controlled by motors mounted to a stationary base assembly. In the Visibeam.RTM. I, a vertical mast is mounted in a journal supported by the base for rotation about a vertical axis. The mast supports a lamp assembly, which generates the light beam of the spotlight. A motor drives the rotation of the mast in order to position the beam of the spotlight at a desired azimuth. In order to position the light at a desired elevation, a plunger is vertically slidable within a bearing sleeve for contacting the lamp assembly of the spotlight such that the lamp assembly is rotationally biased about a horizontal axis against the plunger. A motor supported by the base raises and lowers the plunger, which thereby rotates the lamp assembly about the horizontal axis in order to position the beam of the spotlight at a desired elevation.
In other spotlights that are controlled remotely, a motor for controlling the elevation of the beam is mounted within a housing of a lamp assembly. The motor rotates about a vertical axis with the assembly. An example of such a spotlight is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,732,537. Other patents illustrating various types of spotlights and the controls therefor can be found in the following: U.S. Pat. No. 3,717,117 to Stanley; U.S. Pat. No. 3,164,838 to Heinrich; U.S. Pat. No. 1,551,805 to Davis; and, U.S. Pat. No. 576,684 to MacHaffie et al.